Decades after leaving their home country to settle in the United States, the Vietnamese diaspora has taken roots and
raised a new generation. Many among the first generation came in mid-life, leaving behind a lifetime of hopes and aspirations,
which were dashed when by force of circumstances they had to leave their country.

They have done a remarkable job adapting themselves to their new country, and
can look back with pride at the heroic effort they have made to transform their
uprooted families into ones acclimated to the new environment.

Soon, though, many of the first wave of emigration will make a passage to a new
phase of their life, retirement and old age. They have risen to the challenge of
rebuilding their own life, given a respectable account of their own ability, and
shown resilience in the face of an uncertain future. There may still be regrets and
disappointment at the lot they were dealt by fate. But by and large, these refugees have gained personal independence
and for some, even financial success, because they have pride, and conduct themselves with dignity

During moments of introspection, sensitive minds take a look at the past, and feel an underlying nostalgia that they had
silenced for so long. Ly Lang Nhan lends these souls a voice to express their regrets. Ly tells us it is all right to
feel tender-hearted about their old country, and show the soft side of their hearts
that make them that much more human.

And so let us listen to Ly as he pours out his heart in regrets about the
soul-tormenting tug-of-war between the old country he has forever forsaken,
and the new country he knows will see his final days.